As we have already shown here on the deskmy Blog, remote employees – especially those who normally used to work in a physical office – can feel disconnected and poorly engaged from colleagues. This is definitely a situation you want to avoid, as productivity is dependent on engagement! But relax, we are not trying to discourage you, on the contrary, we know that remote work is more productive than your team imagines!
Chat applications and videoconferencing software are necessary accessories, this is indisputable, but they are just pieces of the puzzle. What is needed here is to strengthen the collaborative culture in the team and thus improve the management of the remote team.
The next step in dealing with the main challenge of remote work, the lack of engagement, is to find ways to reproduce the spontaneous interactions of the physical office in the virtual environment.
So stay with us and we’ll show you how to do that!
When the team works remotely, it loses the ability to intuit about a colleague’s availability to chat and causally interact.
In person, it was easy to distinguish when a collaborator was available to talk and when he was busy, and focused on work.
But where is this place when working remotely?
Well, if you are already familiar with virtual offices you know that there is a simple solution for this, but if you have not had the luck or opportunity (deskmy is right here) to work remotely on one, here are some tips for you to ensure interaction spontaneous in your team and boost the productivity of remote employees:
1. Make it a habit to talk to a colleague every day about non-work-related matters
You don’t have to say goodbye to casual conversations when you migrate to the remote, you just need to adapt to the new reality.
The point is, you need to want it to happen! And if you are already aware of the importance of these social interactions, you need to take the first step – create the environment you want to live in!
2. Take time to socialize in your own daily or weekly meetings
That’s right, having fun and chatting needs to be on the team’s checklist. And do not understand this task as a “waste of time and time is money”, please, right? This is already past – everyone knows that employee engagement and social interactions increase (and greatly) everyone’s productivity.
So, here’s the thing: the next time you start a meeting, set aside an extra 10 minutes to make small talk. It will do a damn good thing, you will see.
Are you waiting for that person to connect in the video call? You won’t be in that desperate silence, will you? Make fun, start a conversation, put on a song … Make something up to make your colleagues smile, and start the day well.
3. Put on the agenda a day for you to schedule to meet or even to meet virtually!
We are living in difficult times, but it is not today that social interactions are a problem for those who do not work in the office daily!
So, until we can’t have a party at the office or go out to socialize with our co-workers, create a moment to do it online!
Take a day out of the month or every other month to get the team together, chat, or even play a game online.
4. Ask colleagues how they are feeling and whether they also miss the day-to-day interaction.
The feeling of empathy is the best possible at this point. Knowing that you are not the only one who feels this way brings comfort and, with that, you can work together to find a solution to the problem.
5. Don’t be shy, show your face!
Now, every time you think about saying “Employees are not engaged in Remote Work!” remember these tips and this is only true if the team does not establish some habits and mindsets in Remote Work! In addition to, of course, introducing deskmy!